95 TIPS - Crowdfunder UK · 95 tips for Crowdfunders, from Crowdfunders Page 2/46 HOW TO CREATE...

95 TIPSFOR CROWDFUNDERS FROM CROWDFUNDERS

95 tips for Crowdfunders, from Crowdfunders /46

HOW TO CREATE YOUR PROJECT

GETTING FUNDED

YOUR CROWDFUNDING JOURNEY

MORE THAN MONEY

THE GOLDEN RULES

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Directly from the creative masterminds of the

UK’s crowdfunding superstars, we are proud to present the hottest guide to crowdfunding you’ll

ever lay your enterprising eyeballs on.

Stuffed to the brim with real advice, top tips and tools for running a successful crowdfunding project by the people who’ve been there, done

it and crowdfunded the t-shirt (literally).

@crowdfunderuk


https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/manageprojects/edit?utm_source=marketing&utm_medium=pdf%20&utm_campaign=contentmarketing%20&utm_content=crowdfundingbycrowdfunders

http://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/95-crowdfunding-tips/95-tips-for-crowdfunders-your-guide-to-running-a-successful-project

http://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/projects/search/order/funded

https://twitter.com/crowdfunderuk


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PG 43

THE GOLDEN RULESWe asked our Crowdfunder Community what the most important advice they’d

give to the future crowdfunders of the universe and this is what they said...

PG 15

GETTING FUNDEDOnce your project is live - you’ll want to get

funded as fast as possible. Our crowdfunders

share their top advice on launching a project,

email targeting, offline engagement, social

media tactics and how to make the most of PR

and media opportunities.

PG 40

MORE THAN MONEY

Crowdfunding is about much more

than just money. It creates awareness,

validation, support and ambassadors

for life - find out what our crowdfunders

gained after they’d crowdfunded.

PG 30

YOUR CROWDFUNDING

JOURNEYOur crowdfunders take you through the

three stages of the crowdfunding journey.

From pre-launch, to live crowdfunding

right through to what happens after you’ve

funded - and what you need to do each

step of the way.

PG 4

HOW TO CREATE YOUR

CROWDFUNDING PROJECT

From passion, commitment and dedication

comes great crowdfunding projects. In this

section - we break down the elements of how

to create a project - including targets, rewards,

and how to tell your story with a video.






GETTING FUNDED


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HOW TO CREATE YOUR CROWDFUNDING PROJECTFrom passion, commitment and dedication comes successful crowdfunding projects. In this section we break down the elements of how to create a project including targets, rewards and how to tell your story.

SET A TARGET

OFFER GREAT REWARDS

TELL YOUR STORY WITH A VIDEO






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Do your research! We looked into how much it would cost for us to bring a seven-day waste food cafe to Brighton. We checked out similar projects on Crowdfunder to make sure our target amount wasn’t unrealistic. Speaking to organisations which had run successful campaigns helped us a lot - we recommend you do the same for your project!

Samantha Dobbie, Co-Director The Real Junk Food Project, Brighton @realjunkfoodBri

Think about the number of people you have access to in your networks as that should give you an idea of your reach. Be bold but not too bold as you can always increase your target later and overfund. We started with a £26,000 target at first and then increased it when we reached it.

Andy Walker, Press and Communications Officer, F.C. United of Manchester, @WalkersRambles @FCUnitedMcr

HOW TO CREATE A CROWDFUNDING PROJECT SETTING A CROWDFUNDING TARGET

Setting a crowdfunding target is one of the biggest challenges you’ll face as a new crowdfunder. This section shares with you advice from some of the UK’s most successful projects on the best way to calculate the right target for your project.




http://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/real-junk-food-project-brighton?utm_source=marketing&utm_medium=pdf&utm_campaign=contentmarketing&utm_content=crowdfundingforcrowdfunders

https://twitter.com/realjunkfoodbri

http://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/kit-it-out?utm_source=marketing&utm_medium=pdf&utm_campaign=contentmarketing&utm_content=crowdfundingforcrowdfunders

https://twitter.com/WalkersRambles

https://twitter.com/FCUnitedMcr


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Be realistic. You can always go back for more. Don’t blow it by being greedy early on - stretch targets exist for a reason. This means you can “overfund” past the funding target you originally set.

Murry Toms, Organiser, Cheltenham Town Billboard, @murrytoms

We drew up a budget for what we needed to crowdfund - being as realistic as possible and added the 5% that Crowdfunder would take off at the end. It seemed a huge amount to ask for but we went with asking for 100% of what we needed!

Claire Nugent, Co Owner, The Control Tower Bed and Breakfast, @ControlTowerNC

Draw up a wish list of essential items you need to get your project off the ground and cost them up accordingly.

Iain Slade, Business Director, Stiltskin Arts and Theatre, @StiltskinArts

Look at your network and work back to discover how much you think you can raise. It’s got to be big enough to be worth all the effort - but it’s also got to be attainable and realistic so you don’t waste your time.

Sarah Bentley, Project Manager, Made in Hackney Community Kitchen, @Made_In_Hackney




http://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/ctfc?utm_source=marketing&utm_medium=pdf&utm_campaign=contentmarketing&utm_content=crowdfundingforcrowdfunders

https://twitter.com/murrytoms

http://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/the-control-tower-needs-you?utm_source=marketing&utm_medium=pdf&utm_campaign=contentmarketing&utm_content=crowdfundingforcrowdfunders

https://twitter.com/ControlTowerNC

http://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/childrens-creative-hub/?utm_source=marketing&utm_medium=pdf&utm_campaign=contentmarketing&utm_content=crowdfundingforcrowdfunders

https://twitter.com/stiltskinarts

http://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/made-in-hackney?utm_source=marketing&utm_medium=pdf&utm_campaign=contentmarketing&utm_content=crowdfundingforcrowdfunders

https://twitter.com/Made_In_Hackney



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HOW TO CREATE A CROWDFUNDING PROJECT HOW TO OFFER GREAT REWARDS

Your rewards can make or break your crowdfunding project. You’ll want them to be open to everyone so that as many people as possible have the opportunity to pledge and support your great idea. Our crowdfunders share their best advice on making sure your crowdfunding project has a cracking set of rewards to get the funds you need.

Our rewards were a pretty close match to the value of the pledges but we had a few £100 and £200 rewards for those who wanted to pledge out of plain simple generosity and did extras like a special bbq or surprise gift.

Liz Watson, Partner, Elephant Box, @ElephantboxUk

Have a variety of rewards - but lots of them. For example, you’ve got a great prize (meal for two say) - have a few of them lined up for people to pledge on - it’s easier to manage!





http://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/elephant-box?utm_source=marketing&utm_medium=pdf&utm_campaign=contentmarketing&utm_content=crowdfundingforcrowdfunders

https://twitter.com/ElephantboxUk





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We found smaller rewards of between £5 and £20 were the most popular. When creating rewards we tried to think about the people who would be making the pledges. We wanted to make sure we had a mix of hands-on rewards like cookery workshops and dining experiences to less involved ones like coupon books. Where possible we also tried to collaborate with other businesses that share our ethos. By doing this we were able to offer a boutique camping trip and Fairtrade chocolate as rewards. So make sure to reach out to your connections when creating rewards - you never know what people will be willing to offer you to support your crowdfunding project.”








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We offered ‘money-can’t-buy’ rewards - and direct ownership of the project (poster in this case). Funders had their names, pictures and businesses plastered all over the billboard poster in the centre of town.


Link your target to your rewards - we looked at the number of each reward we’d need to get to achieve our target and how realistic that was. We were upfront about our campaign and asked people about the rewards they’d like. Put a big reward in there, you never know who’s going to want to help you out big time. If you don’t ask, you won’t get!

Ilana Taub, Co-Founder Snact, @SnactNow

Think about things that people won’t be able to get anywhere else. These incentivise people to donate. Rewards you can say are exclusive are always good. We decided our rewards by discussing with a few of our members and asking them what they would like to have as a reward. Market testing in advance if you like. It certainly seemed to work. Something that brings donors closer to your organisation is also good.







http://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/Snact?utm_source=marketing&utm_medium=pdf&utm_campaign=contentmarketing&utm_content=crowdfundingforcrowdfunders

https://twitter.com/SnactNow






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Rewards that are easy to deliver on are great - you’re going to have to be giving them out in a (hopefully) large number! The majority of our rewards were in the form of tea and cake making it easy for the “pledgee” to see the value of their pledge (i.e. tea and cake for 1 = £5, tea and cake for two = £10) – easily quantifiable. Vouchers worked really well for us too – it meant that once we were open, to receive their reward people had to visit our shop.

Lauren Roffey, Raising Agent at Baked Worthing, @BakedWorthing




http://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/baked-worthing?utm_source=marketing&utm_medium=pdf&utm_campaign=contentmarketing&utm_content=crowdfundingforcrowdfunders

https://twitter.com/bakedworthing



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Have a story. From day one, way before I even considered running a crowdfunding campaign, I had built up a story (largely through blogging and social media) about setting up Baked (i.e. why I did it, what it was about, week by week diary-esque. accounts). This meant by the time I decided to crowdfund I already had a) a well documented and read story and b) an army of supporters. People were able to delve into Baked Worthing’s history and importantly, get to know me and my motivations.


HOW TO CREATE A CROWDFUNDING PROJECT TELLING YOUR STORY WITH A GREAT VIDEO

Videos are a great way of telling your story loud and clear. You can be creative and engaging as well as giving a direct ask - face to screen, for pledges and support. It’s a fantastic way of letting everyone know exactly what you want to achieve and inspiring people to pledge. Our crowdfunders share their trials and tribulations as they created their project vids.







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Firstly, keep it short and clear. Less is definitely more when it comes to video. You want something that is easily shared around people’s networks and that can be watched in a couple of minutes. Ours was 2m 26 secs. Just right. Try and tell the story of your organisation and why it needs the money. Inspire people and make them feel special. Tell them that you really need their help and that they will be doing a great thing by backing your crowdfunding campaign. Use real people in your video and have them tell your story.


Make sure it’s good quality, you can film great video on iPhones but get a person who has done it before - we got someone to help us - and we paid a low charity rate.


Keep it short, to the point, clear and concise. Don’t be scared of it. Your camera phone will suffice, in one take. Script your main points, make sure you hit your marks and your idea will sell itself.













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We were really lucky as one of our volunteers makes videos for a living! His suggestions were to keep it short, clear and entertaining. Often people will only watch the first few seconds, so it’s essential to keep people interested with lots of shots of the project and the people involved with it.


Don’t make your video on a windy beach!!! :D (that is unless you enjoy having to re-record all the audio!!)

For our project it was important to show we were genuine and that the video featured as many contributors as possible. Don’t overthink it, have a rough script and let people ad-lib and speak from the heart, honesty will always win people over.

Nobody gets hurt from something being a little rough round the edges, with the amount of content people watch each day you should remember you aren’t making a blockbuster - good enough is good enough.

Michael Mentessi, Trawler - a publication anchored in Leigh-on-Sea, @michaelmentessi

Keep it short, sweet and attention grabbing. It is all in the preparation - script what needs to be said and work out a storyboard for shots. Find the human story – who will benefit and how. If appropriate, can the beneficiaries of the funding tell the story?







http://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/trawler?utm_source=marketing&utm_medium=pdf&utm_campaign=contentmarketing&utm_content=crowdfundingforcrowdfunders




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We say… pay a professional to help out, it makes a massive difference having an effective video. Make it personal, people need to relate to you and your project.

Luke Berkley, CEO, The Newquay Community Orchard, @NewquayOrchard

We spent a whole day filming a script we’d written and decided to scrap it all and start again when we watched it and realised it was awfully boring! Our top tips? Be yourself, have fun and show the crowd why you believe in the project - if you’re excited, people will get excited with you!


The video was hard! We did loads of takes, have someone helping who knows how to get the best out of you and be genuine! Give yourself lots of time to try various things.


We looked at others to see what we liked, what caught our attention and identified the bits that were less successful in others. We had a lot of fun making our vid –keeping it light and fun makes it more entertaining for the people watching it. Having music helped to create a nice atmosphere and also a good videographer.













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GETTING FUNDEDYou could have the best idea in the world, an amazing video, description, rewards and images but unless you put it out there you are unlikely to get funded!

It has to be you and your team! You have the passion, enthusiasm and the ability to turn your great idea into reality. In the following section you’ll find advice from successful crowdfunders who want to share their experiences and immense knowledge to help your project get funded.

LAUNCH YOUR PROJECT

MAKE EMAIL WORK FOR CROWD-FUNDING

xO

CROWD-FUNDING AND SOCIAL MEDIA

GET COVERAGE IN THE MEDIA

HOW TO GET SUPPORT OFFLINE






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GETTING FUNDED HOW TO LAUNCH YOUR PROJECT

Launching your project is a big moment in the life of any crowdfunder. Our Crowdfunder Community share what worked for them. Some had a great party, others got large pledges lined up to showcase great early support for their campaign - others did both. Discover what works from the people who’ve already made their great ideas a reality.

We built a plan knowing exactly what we were going to do throughout our crowdfunding campaign to promote it. We reached our target in less than two weeks so we didn’t need to execute all of it…Contacting people directly and with personal messages was key. Starting a conversation and sharing this new exciting adventure in your life is really effective! Be personal in reaching out to people. You’re asking them for money so take time to engage with people personally beforehand.

Ilana Taub Co-Founder Snact, @SnactNow







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We held a huge launch party on the day our crowdfunder campaign went live. We invited local musicians, served great food and introduced people to all of our rewards. We had a great turn out with over 300 people in attendance. It was a great way to get our project off to a great start and generated lots of awareness!


We contacted our database in advance to say that we were launching a crowdfunding project and emailed our members before we officially opened the campaign so that when we went live publicly there was already money coming in.


We created a launch event which was great success, we raised the majority of our funds on that night. We also had a follow up day event midway through our campaign to keep momentum and also include families. Make them fun, include an activity, showcase your video, have a live link to the total so people can watch it grow, make announcements about large donations, create a buzz!


We had all the major channels and key influencers lined up to support it before we went live. Our project was timely, witty and original, and the locals were ready to spread the message quickly to create a buzz around it.










http://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/newquay-community-orchard?utm_source=marketing&utm_medium=pdf&utm_campaign=contentmarketing&utm_content=crowdfundingforcrowdfunders

https://twitter.com/NewquayOrchard





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A launch event is a great way to showcase your idea and generate excitement and potentially media around your crowdfunding campaign - get invites out early (this also warms people up to what is happening!), make sure your project has already got off to a great start - so the audience really gets excited and make sure you ask people to pledge - some projects have got fully funded at their launch event!

Sean Dagen Wood, Editor in Chief, Positive News @PositiveNewsUK




http://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/positivenews/?utm_source=crowdfunder&utm_medium=pdf&utm_content=crowdfundingforcrowdfunders&utm_campaign=contentmarketing



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GETTING FUNDED MAKE EMAIL WORK FOR CROWDFUNDING

Email is one of the oft-forgotten gems of crowdfunding - and it can really help boost pledges on a campaign. The key is to create different messages for your different audiences - and our crowdfunders tell it like it is. From how to address your supporters, to updating everyone who has pledged - find out from the best how to make email work for you.

Use your database before the launch of the campaign to get people interested. Then keep them informed throughout the campaign by sharing your success and providing regular updates. Say thank you, let people know that there are new updates on your Crowdfunder website so that they go there, get inspired and donate, or donate again having already done so.









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We sent regular email updates to people who had made pledges through the Crowdfunder site. We always tried to ensure we had something interesting to say about the project and a good image or two where possible. It was a good opportunity to ask people to spread details about our project and the Crowdfunder campaign far and wide.


We used Mail Chimp as it is free and has a simple interface. We included a signature strip with a call to action on all email from our general account with a link to our Crowdfunder page.


Less is more, make it personal, only use email lists you have collected yourself or have permission to use.


Target your emails to your different audiences, it’s really important that your message is suitable for the person reading the email - and it’s also important to name people to build that connection - nobody likes a “Dear Sir” email.














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GETTING FUNDED MAKING THE MOST OF SOCIAL MEDIA

Social media is a crucial tool for crowdfunders across the world. Facebook is one of the best platforms for generating pledges, Twitter is brilliant for generating awareness and LinkedIn is a great place to look for corporate support. Our crowdfunders share what worked for them in the fast-moving world of social media.

Social media - Twitter and Facebook - was absolutely vital in promoting our campaign. We also used our website to keep people updated and also our email database to let people know about the campaign. People loved getting updates about how we were doing and that definitely led to more donations. Don’t forget to use the updates section on your Crowdfunder page. You can always recycle the copy elsewhere. It’s all about content. Share stories, pictures, progress towards your target, messages of support. People love to be kept informed. Make them part of the campaign and give them a stake in achieving your target.


xO








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Find your local influencers, even ones in different circles should be pleased to hear what is going on in their local community - all help is welcome, a single tweet from a local influencer is worth more than a single donation. Plan lots of tweets and get photos to share wherever possible - make it easy for people to help you share on social media. Sharing through most social media channels is short lived and needs constant attention, again plan this activity.


Through our #StopPress hashtag we managed to gain four and a half million impressions on Twitter during the three days that the campaign ran. Picking the right hashtags and targeting your messaging at people likely to be supportive of your campaign can go a long way.

Ben McCabe, Editor of Output Magazine, @OutputMagazine

Be clear, and concise. Use images. Trial different sorts of social media such as short-form video and live streaming apps such as Periscope or Meerkat. Variety is the spice of life. Aggregate the conversation under one hashtag. Don’t bore your followers with unnecessary posts. “Wise men speak because they have something to say; Fools because they have to say something.” Plato. Understand your audience, and where you can find them. Target your messaging. 50 interested people are better than 50,000 people who don’t care.






http://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/stoppress?utm_source=marketing&utm_medium=pdf&utm_campaign=contentmarketing&utm_content=crowdfundingforcrowdfunders

https://twitter.com/outputmagazine




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Social media was the most useful tool for us. We had a large following already on Facebook (over 1,000) which really helped us get the word out there. We asked our friends and supporters to spread the word and we posted our Crowdfunding page on other forum pages too.


If you don’t have a Facebook page for your project or organisation, set one up! Think about who your target audience is for any particular post and try to imagine when they might be looking at Facebook and post then. Remember to put a call to action in your posts, such as “Pledge Now!” or “Please Share”.


We got loads of new followers and lots of pledges from Twitter. Make your messaging varied, funny, full of stats - change how you talk about it or people will get bored! Don’t forget to keep posting on Facebook - reminding people that you are crowdfunding - and tag facebook.com/crowdfunder so they can help you share your project!


Be funny and genuine… keep writing different content, asking people to share etc - treading the fine line between becoming a total pain and people not knowing what you are up to with your crowdfunding project.















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Social media was a really useful way to promote the Crowdfunder campaign and keep people up to date about the project. To prevent people getting tired of our campaign we ensured we weren’t too relentless on the social media front. Instead, we planned posts in advance and tried to release them in waves every few days to make most impact. Facebook was responsible for the majority of our Crowdfunder pledges. We made regular updates and frequently linked to the Crowdfunder site. It was a great space to post up images of the project and gain peoples attention.









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GETTING FUNDED GET COVERAGE IN THE MEDIA

Getting your project featured in the national media and your local press is a great opportunity to shout about your project and how your community can get involved. Discover how our Crowdfunder Community used great PR to help get their projects funded.

Start small. Local media love publishing stories about great ideas with local angles. It’s easy to get hold of journalists, through Twitter especially. Once you have a contact, share your great idea, and present it clearly and concisely. Be persistent. Be ready to tell them how you’d like your story presented, and think about your quotes - know how you want to sell your idea before they start asking questions. Be ready to supply pictures (hi-res). Be prepared to do live interviews on radio, even if it’s something that makes you uncomfortable! Take charge of that situation. Don’t be afraid to be controversial to grab the headlines. Great stories then have the potential to bubble up to a national level.








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Unless your project has national impact concentrate your time on local media. Rather than just send in a press release, give the features editor a call and see it they will run something a bit more substantial.


Don’t be disheartened if you don’t get any coverage straight away - keep plugging away regardless. Ask everyone in your network if they can intro you to anyone at the local press as it really helps. Don’t forget blogs and other methods of spreading the word, these also help validate what you are doing and increase the likelihood of press coverage.


Tell your story and why you are appealing for public support. Show the difference that people can make from giving you money. Highlight the benefits. Send the press good images of what you are fundraising for and have real people involved in telling your story.


Send press releases to your local media - and don’t forget to add a photo - old school!















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We timed it well! We had an article that came out in a big newspaper early on and it was Easter Friday, which meant people who read it had some free time to look further into what we were doing! Before launching, we’d already contacted journalists, or people in social media with big followings, asking for their support.









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GETTING FUNDED HOW TO GET SUPPORT OFFLINE

You can’t beat talking to people face to face and although your project will be online on the Crowdfunder website - there’s nothing stopping you from creating fliers, getting people to share posters with the link on, and picking up the phone to your friends and family. Many of our crowdfunders say they’ve had some great pledges from “offline” promotion - find out how they did it…

Raising awareness was as important to us as achieving the funding. We found the support of the local community overwhelming at times. If you have a product that you believe in then crowdfunding is the perfect reason to get out there to your market and shout about it. Using socials, our website, and the promotional video were all good tools but we found actually getting out on foot and engaging with people face to face achieved the best results. You have to be prepared to put in some hard graft.








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We printed off a load of A5 fliers with basic details and a web page link. Whenever we talked to someone about the project we gave them a flier.


We went to some markets and had a stall as a charity - but used the footfall to promote the campaign.


Offline, we made lots of flyers and tried to put them up anywhere and every place we could think - including local shops, libraries, community centres etc. We also made appearances on local radio stations to talk about the project and attended as many community events as possible!


Talk to the press to get your story out there. If you have meetings coming up then print a simple leaflet with details of your campaign on it. ASK people to talk about the campaign.
















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YOUR CROWDFUNDING JOURNEY Armed to the back teeth with brilliant advice from the UK’s top crowdfunders - it’s time to make a plan. We’ve created three sections jammed with advice on what you’ve got to do before you launch, once your crowdfunding project is live and what to think about once you’ve reached your target. Check it out.

THE WARM UP

READY, SET, LIVE!

WHAT’S NEXT?






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YOUR CROWDFUNDING JOURNEY THE WARM UP

From the hearts and minds of the Crowdfunder Community - discover what you need to think about when warming up your crowd before you launch your live crowdfunding project.

Spend time putting together a really good campaign before your launch, photos, words, etc.


Good images of your project are key. It makes creating flyers, posters and social media posts much easier and more successful. We’d definitely suggest getting good photographers on board to help promote your campaign.










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Get your idea straight - be original, bold, funny and timely. Try to pull a major channel or organisation into your conversation to broaden your reach in different areas. Key influencers are likely to have more impact than news organisations and professional bodies - line them up.


Plan plan plan! Know who you’re going to promote to, how and when. Ask people to review your rewards and the campaign before posting it - whether it’s friends or people who’ve successfully crowdfunded before.


Before you start your fund discuss your idea with others and ask their opinion about your target and your rewards. Get some people on board so as soon as you go live they can pitch in and it makes it less daunting for others to follow.


Plan ahead, if you can. Take the time to work out what your emotional hook will be, and build a publicity campaign around that.














GETTING FUNDED


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Make a plan, speak to friends, family and colleagues, re-write the plan.


Make sure you have secured a large chunk of your target prior to launch so you’ve got some funding to show when you go live.


Email all your contacts and have people lined up to donate on the first day - we had a queue of people ready to pledge on the morning that we went live.


Reach out to as many people as you can before the campaign starts, network and collect email address, twitter handles etc. This list of people can never be too big. Get them onside and warmed up to help promote the campaign. Most importantly take all the effort out of helping by writing press-releases, tweets, Facebook posts, have shareable images etc and distribute to all involved. Don’t underestimate the amount of time this actually takes. Line up as many people to back the project on the first day as possible but don’t get stressed if they don’t remember / don’t have time to do it... they’ll probably get it done in the first week and this really helps anyway.














GETTING FUNDED


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YOUR CROWDFUNDING JOURNEY READY, SET, LIVE!

Wow your project is live! Our Crowdfunder Community share their top tips on how to keep your crowdfunding campaign on track during the time you are actively fundraising. Discover how much is too much promotion? How do you stagger your marketing efforts? How do you keep your supporters updated?

Get the balance right between shouting about the campaign and talking about other things too - we actually lost a follower or two when hammering the campaign messages. Try to keep a 5:1 ratio of general content to campaign related content after the first week. Never stop looking for new supporters! NEVER! Anyone who follows you on social media let know about the campaign directly, attend local events and spread the word, never be afraid to ask for support. Have a plan - this will help you avoid over pestering people, structure your efforts and spread them out over the whole campaign - planning aids with visualising the whole campaign and allows you to spread activity evenly.







GETTING FUNDED


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Keep people informed and updated every couple of days - add new rewards and use them to build interest and don’t forget to post comments from people who have pledged on your project to inspire others to do the same.


Don’t panic, don’t spam people, and don’t seem needy.


Keep plugging away to keep the momentum, but don’t go crazy - stagger your key messaging. Keep an eye on your Crowdfunder analytics dashboard - follow the data. Be one (or two) steps ahead at all times - think about where the campaign is going, and harness its full potential. Be bold.


We gave out fliers in the middle of the campaign and gained new volunteers out of it - and we ended up with one pledge of £1,500 from doing that in the middle of our project!















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Make noise – a lot of it. If you can, get your entire team rallying around the project and supporting it. Make use of your own social networks to spread the word as well as any group of online discussion relevant to the field that you’re operating in.


Remember to sleep. Crowdfunding is addictive but at some point you need a break.


Stagger your marketing plan to maintain momentum as your Crowdfunder project progresses.


Put lots of time aside for social media stuff. You are going to be spending a lot of time on Twitter…especially if like us you’ve never really used social media for promotion before!















GETTING FUNDED


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YOUR CROWDFUNDING JOURNEY WHAT’S NEXT?

What happens when you’ve successfully crowdfunded? We’ve got a raft of top tips to make sure that you thank your supporters in the right way, deliver your rewards and keep good relationships going with your brand new ambassadors.

Keep your backers updated with your developments, first on when they can expect their rewards but then later really showing how their contribution has helped take your project forward.


Make sure you deliver on your rewards, thank everyone personally, it takes time but these people have invested in you.











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The most important thing? Give out your rewards - we put a timescale on people and made sure they collected their rewards. Be really on it with this - it’s the most simple, but effective thing you can do to keep hold of your new supporters. We had a post-success party to say thank you to everyone - Lots of people came, post parties are a great way of carrying on the relationship with your supporters.








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Say thanks on all channels and update people when they can expect their rewards….Exhale.


Thank everyone, as loudly and publicly as you can. Your gratitude might be free, but it can be used to generate positivity around your brand and helps those who contributed feel a sense of ownership over the project.


Thank everyone - don’t forget your backers. Talk to them, and listen to their ideas. Maintain that conversation. Update your supporters. Tell the story - make sure you gather all the coverage and conversation around your project and keep it in your ‘Updates’. If you go again, you can show what happened before. If there are hitches, and there always will be, make sure you let everyone know. Be transparent. Be organised - deliver the project to plan.












GETTING FUNDED


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MORE THAN MONEYCrowdfunding is about more than just raising funds. It’s about getting validation for your idea, creating brand awareness, growing your audience and making the most of the brilliant opportunities that arise while your campaign is running.

Our crowdfunders share with you the benefits beyond getting funded - it’s about so much more than money…





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Our funders got more involved in our organisation and felt even more a part of what we do. The crowdfunding campaign reinforced the sense of ownership members feel and empowered members to help the club in other ways such as increased our volunteering. It also gave us confidence that we can go out and achieve success and it also showed the local community and our partners that we are serious.


Following our Crowdfunder project we gained more volunteers, more people attending our classes, we re-used our video and also appointed new people to our steering board! It’s about so much more than just fundraising.


I’m tempted to say that crowdfunding is more about everything else than the money you raise. It acts as a seal of approval for your idea/project - you get buy-in from a whole lot of people, those that contribute but also those that are willing to share it through their networks. Beyond that, it depends who is in your crowd - off the back of our campaign, we gained clients, people who’ve supported us in continuing to develop Snact, people who have introduced us to others who’ve since become key to our growth, people who’ve offered to help us in one way or another. It’s incredible how helpful people have been!













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Crowdfunding is about more than asking for funds - you can ask for support too - we put a call out for arts practitioners and trades people… We got an architect!


Our crowd gave us the validation of our idea. Our project showed the local community what can be achieved by working together, and (bigger) future projects are very likely.


Your crowd is very good at keeping you going and renewing your faith in your project and what you are trying to achieve. You can get so much encouragement from crowdfunding, it’s very lovely!













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THE GOLDEN RULESCrowdfunding is not an exact science, some advice will work for you - and some won’t. It depends on your project, your rewards, your network and your ability to get that passion out there. We asked our crowdfunders for their top must-do tricks of the crowdfunding trade - read, listen, learn… and get ready to crowdfund.





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Preparation is key, make sure you have backers lined up before you launch and start with a bang, but make sure you hold some back to show consistent growth of your pot.


Leave no contact unturned - everyone you’ve ever met and every group you’ve ever been a part of - talk to them!


You can’t tell enough people about the campaign - it could be a full time job and you’ll still feel like you aren’t telling enough people... just keep going and don’t give up :)


Have fun with it but don’t underestimate the amount of work that needs to go in - it’s pretty much a full time job for a few weeks/couple of months!


It’s a long game – people love a deadline and will wait until the end. Our campaign was only at the halfway mark two days before the end. We surpassed our target by over 7%.















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Don’t underestimate the power of social media to give your project the impetus it needs.


Expect a lull in pledges and don’t give up. Stay positive or it will come across in your updates. If you don’t believe you can do it, how will others?


Above all, take the time to communicate to each and every person who gets involved with the campaign how important their donation is, whether it be in the form of ideas, money or time.


Have fun! If you are enjoying it then it shows and it’s easier to write posts. Make a video that will engage with people - also make your project a really good story that people want to get involved with. Facebook was our best tool, we didn’t expect it but we kept pushing it and bothering our friends to spread our message! That worked, most of our pledges came that way.















GETTING FUNDED


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95 TIPS - Crowdfunder UK · 95 tips for Crowdfunders, from Crowdfunders Page 2/46 HOW TO CREATE...

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